I actually met Katie at my first food blogging conference, Mixed, back in 2012. So hard to believe that was two years ago. Geez. Katie was so kind and very welcoming to yours truly whose food blog was 2.2 seconds old with hideous food photography and a zillion grammar mistakes. Katie, are you sure you didn’t get in the giggle juice that day?

Anyways, we had a delightful conversation where I obsessed over Katie’s gorgeous business cards. This is where I learned a good business card is like a stylish pair of pumps. Apparently I was only getting the Payless-chic memo.

So, to celebrate Katie, her kindness, and her soon-to-be baby boy, I whipped up this Cuban casserole with whole grain mustard buttery biscuits. This casserole is super easy to make, but still has some sass with the spices – cumin, cinnamon, garlic powder, and cloves. Plus, you can’t go wrong with a buttery biscuit. Can I get an amen?

Directions:

Preheat a large Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, red and green pepper, s&p and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the ground beef and ham. Cook until beef has been cooked through. Stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, garlic powder, and cloves. Stir and continue to continue for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Pour the beef mixture into the casserole dish. Add the biscuits rounds to the top and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

for the whole grain biscuits:

In a food processor, add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until a course pea sized dough appears. Stream the milk in until the dough is thick and then gently combine the mustard.

Sprinkle flour on a work surface. Knead the dough a couple of times and then press the dough into a 1/2 –inch circle and using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out six or seven rounds.